The F-22 fleet has been produced in a number of configurations, but the Air Force will ultimately consolidate it to just two, says Lockheed Martin F-22 program manager George Shultz. When the increment 3.2 software is installed, most F-22s will be brought up to “a common standard,” Schultz told reporters during a media tour of the Raptor production line in Marietta, Ga., last week. Some early F-22s “are harder to do” and will not be included, he said. The configuration changes will be worked in when F-22s go into depot for modifications. (For more from Schultz’s comments, read MADL Integration on F-22 May Slip.)
An F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the Texas Air National Guard’s 149th Fighter Wing crashed during a training mission in Michigan on Sept. 17. The fighter's sole pilot ejected and is in stable condition at a local hospital.
